Court Report: April 22, 2026

Neenah man sentenced for homicide by negligent operation

Austin Popenhagen, 25, of Neenah, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of homicide by negligent operation/vehicle at a plea/sentencing hearing last week. Judge Daniel Overbey withheld a sentence for that offense, ordering Popenhagen to serve five years of probation. That will include one year of conditional jail. There was $518 payable to the Clerk of Courts’ office for that charge. There was one day of credit in the case. Popenhagen also pleaded guilty to a civil forfeiture charge of first-offense OWI. That included a fine of $1,175, with a nine-month driver’s license revocation. The offenses occurred on Aug. 15, 2025.

Donald Alcus Jr, 53, of Prairie City, Iowa, appeared for a judicial pretrial on one felony charge of theft by contractor >$10,000-100,000. Prosecutors requested a trial date to be set. The defense requested a bond modification, which was denied by Judge Daniel Overbey. A jury trial was scheduled for Sept. 21 at 10:45 a.m. A final pretrial was scheduled for Aug 12, at 10:15 a.m. The alleged offense took place on April 1, 2024.